


Meet the Family

by RainbowMagicMarker



Series: Jane Shepard [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Gen, Momma Shep, Ship Chats, Sole Survivor (Mass Effect), Spacer (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-07
Updated: 2014-08-07
Packaged: 2018-02-12 03:42:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2094390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowMagicMarker/pseuds/RainbowMagicMarker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Normandy docks for a supply run on the Citadel Shepard is quick to get things organized and rolling, there's a war going on and they don't have time to spare. But when a familiar face turns up in the dock, however, she can't resist suggesting lunch. Garrus, on the other hand, is a little bit less excited about meeting the mother-in-law.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meet the Family

Garrus watched as the commander stared intently over the datapads, checking and re-checking both that the Normandy had everything they needed and that anything excess was offloaded and taken to the refugees on Spectre orders. It might mean some tight rationing of supplies later down the line but if Chakwas said she could manage the commander would do everything possible to see that others were taken care of. Perhaps not the way that Garrus himself would have done it but it was their differences in reaching the same goal that had them working together so well. 

That and he really wasn't in the mindset to argue with her when she had that stern intensity in her eyes, he was somewhere else entirely. Sometimes it was quite the pity how military duty and protocol said he couldn't act on any of those thoughts until the Normandy was en route somewhere and they had some actual downtime to spend. It was a sacrifice he would just have to make for the good of the galaxy. 

"Cortez I want upgraded AA shieldings on the Kodiak, now that Cerberus knows we're making hit and run raids on their bases they're going to do everything they can to keep us from hitting the ground. Vega go with him and see that the shuttle is stocked with ground supplies, I want extra thermal clips and shield batteries." She had barely glanced away from the datapad before she was shouting orders through the docking bay, to stern salutes and a stereo of "Yes commander." From the two men. Better than Lola, some humans Garrus just didn't understand. 

"LC!" Came up next, and Ashley Williams promptly appeared from who knows where in the bay, the woman was surprisingly good at staying out of sight until she wanted to be seen. "Get Dr. Chakwas, I want you to escort her down to the refugee camps and find Kelly Chambers and a turian named Tactus. See what they need if what we can do to help, don't hesitate to throw that shiny new Spectre rank around if you need to." Ashely gave a sharp nod, "Yes sir!" Before disappearing back into the ship to find Chakwas. 

"Liara, I have reason to believe that Kasumi Goto might be on the Citadel, use your contacts to find her. While you're digging around I want casualty lists, known survivors, evacuated colonies, anything that might help give the crew answers." Liara glanced away from her datapad and Glyph, "Of course Shepard." 

"Tali can you-" Before she could get any farther the datapad whistled for attention, "Commander Shepard here." She adjusted the earpiece as she picked the datapad back up off the box she had been using as a makeshift desk. 

"Commander there's something here to see you if you want me to-" Specialist Traynor's voice started but was quickly interrupted by an older woman. 

"Of course she wants, and if not that's too bad I outrank her." 

To the turian's surprise the commander laughed, it was a deep and genuine sort of laugh that prompted her to toss her hair back and catch the turian off guard. It wasn't something he heard often from her in the middle of all this conflict and turmoil, and certainly not outside of their private quarters like this. "All right Traynor, let her in." There was an _I told you so_ scoff on the other end of the line before the hiss of hydraulics indicated the opening doors. Garrus would admit he was quite interested to see who could get this kind of reaction out of his commander. 

"Admiral." Shepard snapped to a salute, only for the older woman to roll her eyes as she crossed the docking bay to come to a stop in front of the commander.

"Oh stuff it Jane, I hardly stand on formality with my own daughter. Heard the Normandy had docked and like hell I was going to miss one last chance to see my little girl." Though there was some grey in the red hair, and crows feet framing the steel blue eyes, the family resemblance was uncanny. Garrus almost wished he had a glass of ryncol just so he could spit it out at the realization.

"That's uh… it's good to see you mom really but what are you doing on the Citadel to begin with?" Shepard raised an eyebrow, leaning back on the crate and crossing her arms. Garrus knew that Shepard's mother was alive, and in the alliance, but he'd had no idea where the woman was stationed or what she was up to. Not that he didn't care, but things had been a little too busy to look into that kind of thing. 

"Supply run for that cru- for that project of yours. That and calling in a few favors for help while I'm out there. The kind of thing that needs to be done in person, there's enough activity going on out there that they aren't going to miss one old woman for an afternoon." Hannah Shepard shrugged lightly, and Garrus could see where some of the commander's flippancy came from. "Now give your mother a hug, that's an order." And before Jane could argue at all she was swept up into a hug by the older woman before she stepped away just as quickly to examine the hold and all the remaining crew members in it. 

Garrus couldn't help but feel a certain sense of foreboding when she locked eyes with him and it occurred to him in that moment that he had no idea how much contact Shepard had with her mother, or how much that might have been shared with the woman. "And this must be that Vakarian of yours." At the sound of his name he stepped away from where he'd leaned against the wall to offer a hand out to the woman to shake. He had to respect the lack of hesitation and firm grip in her sharp movements. 

"Garrus Vakarian, reaper adviser to the Hierarchy and executive officer aboard the Normandy." Probably best to stick with the things only on his record, if the admiral knew his name then she'd already looked into his files if she was anything like her daughter. To his mild embarrassment both Shepard woman laughed. 

"Garrus she uh… she knows." Shepard offered up just a little bit too late for him to recover and offer up an introduction that was just a little more appropriate. It would have been lovely to know just how much Jane had told her mother _before_ meeting the woman. "Explains why she never wanted to talk about boys as a kid. Has a good eye for aliens." Almost against his will Garrus relaxed a little bit, that same disarming sort of humor that Jane utilized so well. 

"Well in that case I uh, I have to admit that I'm a big fan of your work Admiral." He looked over Jane as he spoke, cockeyed mandibles betraying a smirk even as Jane reached over and punched him in the shoulder. "Though I think it's less the alien and more the scars, the best shot in the galaxy, the bad boy reputation. That and this voice gets all the girls." Perhaps pushing the line just a teensy bit but it didn't seem like he was going to die, unless Hannah Shepard had a history of laughing right before shooting men in the head that he didn't know about. 

"So long as you rise up to the duty, Vakarian. You keep my little girl alive and when this is over we can talk about grandkids." It was Garrus' turn to give a nervous chuckle at that comment. Not that he was entirely adverse to the idea, but there was something a little unsettling about your girlfriend's mother bringing it up in the middle of the whole crew during a war. "Of course admiral, I'll do my best." He nodded sharply to the woman, fully intending to stick to that promise, it took more than some reapers to get between him and his commander. Jane in the meantime only rolled her eyes at the serious tone. He was almost surprised at how well the older woman had taken to him, after the First Contact War he had gotten used to humans having a particular animosity towards him. 

Some of it must have been on his face, or the admiral was even better at reading people than her daughter, because Hannah shrugged at him. "My Jane is a big girl, and she didn't get to be an N7 operative and first human Spectre without knocking a few heads. She doesn't need my protection, and if I didn't trust her judge of character then I didn't do a very good job raising her did I?" He definitely understood where Jane got her disarming charm and honesty from. Whatever he had expected the commander's parents to be like; Hannah Shepard was all that and then some. 

"Yes, hello. Still here." Jane waved her hand between the two to bring their attention back, shaking her head at the pair of them. "How long are you going to be here mom? I need to drop supplies by Huerta Memorial but I could make time for lunch. You could meet one of your grand-kids!" Shepard suggested cheerfully, quite pleased by the idea. Hannah did quirk an eye at it but even before she spoke Shepard and Garrus both knew it wasn't going to work out. 

"I've only got so much time here to finish my errands, but you drop them my extranet address and when this is over we'll do lunch." Hannah turned and saluted the commander, "I'm proud of you girl, now you go out there and kick some reaper ass." 

"Oh stuff it; I hardly stand on formality with my own mother." Jane returned, stepping close to the woman and this time being the one to wrap her in a hug. "You take care mom, we'll do lunch and you can meet _both_ your grandchildren when this over." 

Garrus stepped up beside Jane as she watched her mother retreat back into the Citadel without looking back. The turian could understand why, looking back at the commander and still walking away was not something that he had ever managed himself. He could only put an arm around Jane's waist in comfort. 

"Grandchildren?" He questioned, a mix of sarcasm and genuine concern as the hydraulic doors hissed closed and he looked down at her. 

"Grunt doesn't exactly have much for family, and I promised I'd keep an eye on Kolyat." She answered, and when she did it seemed plenty obvious to Garrus. He could only nod and hum and make sure to keep Jane safe. For Hannah, for the kids she already had, and for any kids they might pick up in the future.

**Author's Note:**

> Oops I wrote another dumb Mass Effect fic. Not as thoroughly beta'd this time but maybe someone out there enjoys stupid conversation fics as much as I do. Thanks for reading!


End file.
